QUEENS, N.Y. -
Head coach Ian Stone and the St. John's women's soccer team has released its schedule for the 2008 campaign, and it features nine home contests and two tournaments.

"I am really pleased with our schedule and I am looking forward to an exciting year," Stone said. "We will be playing a competitive schedule that will test the team. BIG EAST competition will once again be tough, and we will be anticipating the challenge."

The team will be looking to build on its highly successful campaign in 2007, where it posted an 11-5-3 slate and set school records with six BIG EAST wins and eight home victories.

The Red Storm will prepare for the regular season with two exhibition contests on the road, traveling to New Hampshire on Aug. 14 and Hofstra on Aug. 18. STJ will then return home to open up the season as it hosts Fairfield on Friday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.

STJ will travel to Newark, Del., for its first tournament of the year Aug. 29-31. The Red Storm will open playing Towson on Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. before playing host Delaware on Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m. The team will continue its road trip when it travels to face Yale on Sunday Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m.

The Red Storm will return to the friendly confines of Belson Stadium to host the NYC Nike Classic from Sept. 12-14. The team will take on Columbia on Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. and conclude the tournament facing Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. on Sept. 14.

BIG EAST action starts on Friday, Sept. 19 for St. John's when it travels to play Syracuse at 6 p.m. The Red Storm concludes non-conference action on Sept. 21, hosting Princeton on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Red Storm will continue its homestand and open league action at Belson Stadium when West Virginia comes to town on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m.

St. John's will embark on a three-game road trip, as it travels to play Pittsburgh on Sept. 28, Villanova on Oct. 3 and Georgetown on Oct. 5. The Red Storm will return home and wrap up its home schedule with a four-game homestand. STJ hosts Marquette on Oct. 10 and USF on Oct. 12, and its last weekend in Queens will feature Rutgers on Oct. 17 and Seton Hall on Oct. 19.

The team will hit the road for its last series of the season when it plays Providence on Oct. 24 and concludes the regular season on Oct. 26 at Connecticut.